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Free care card SVG files

Free care card SVG files to tuck in with an order: tumbler, cup, mug and wine glass cards that say hand wash only and do not soak, shirt cards with the washing instructions for iron-on vinyl, a sheet of care icons and a blank card. The wording follows what the makers of the materials advise.

14 designs. Free for personal and commercial use, no sign-up. What you can do with them.

Or choose one below for its PNG, DXF and cutting sizes.

What the cards say, and why

A care card saves a refund. Adhesive vinyl on a tumbler or a mug is held by glue alone, and makers of permanent vinyl advise letting it sit for 24 to 48 hours before it is washed and recommend washing by hand. That is why these cards say hand wash only, do not soak and do not scrub: long soaking lets water creep under the edge of a decal, and a scouring pad lifts it. Stainless steel tumblers must never go in a microwave oven, whatever is on them, so the tumbler cards say that too.

Shirts pressed with iron-on vinyl want different care. The makers of iron-on say to wait 24 hours after pressing before the first wash, to wash and tumble dry the garment inside out, and not to use bleach. The shirt and fabric cards carry exactly those lines. If your material or your blank comes with its own instructions, follow those and use the blank card.

Printing and cutting

The landscape cards are drawn at the proportions of a business card and are meant to be cut 89 mm wide, which is 3.5 inches. At that size the lettering is about 5 mm tall: easy to read, but too small to weed from vinyl, so use print then cut. Print the whole design on white or kraft card of 250 gsm or more and let the machine cut round the border. A foil pen or an engraving tip also works: the letters are thick, even strokes. The round card makes a sticker for a box lid, and the tag has a hole for twine.

How to open the files

  • Cricut Design Space: choose Upload, pick the SVG, and add it to the canvas. Set the width you want; the shape is already welded.
  • Silhouette Studio: Designer Edition and above open the SVG. The free Basic Edition does not, so open the DXF instead.
  • LightBurn, xTool Creative Space and Glowforge: import the SVG, then set the layer to cut, score or engrave.
  • Inkscape, Illustrator and Affinity: open the SVG. It is a plain filled path, so you can recolour it, add a stroke or combine it with your own work.
  • Printing or sublimation: use the PNG, which has a transparent background.

Each design page lists the file’s narrowest part at seven sizes, so you can tell whether it will survive at the size you plan to cut.

Questions

What should a tumbler care card say?

Hand wash only, do not soak and do not microwave cover almost every decorated steel tumbler. Add that it is not for the dishwasher if your vinyl or coating is not rated for one. Keep it to four short lines: a buyer reads a card once, on the way to the kitchen.

How long should vinyl cure before the first wash?

For permanent adhesive vinyl, makers advise 24 to 48 hours between applying it and washing it, so the vinyl card here says 48. For iron-on vinyl on fabric the usual advice is 24 hours after pressing. If you ship a day or two after making the item, the wait has usually passed before it arrives.

Can I cut the lettering from vinyl?

Not at card size: the letters are about 5 mm tall and would not weed. Print the card and cut the border. If you scale a design to 250 mm wide for a sign at a craft stall, the lettering is about 15 mm tall and cuts well.

More free SVG files